The Divine Gargoyles
''"What is more beautiful than a world burnt to ashes? NOTHING!"- ''Char Jager, the Gargoyle Lord, Warmaster of the Divine Gargoyles The Divine Gargoyles are a deadly Warband of Chaos Space Marines whos obsession with fire is only matched by their loyalty to their patron Chaos God, the Prince of Pleasure. Pyromaniacs to the core, these monsters live to set worlds ablaze with their muilt-spectrum flamers and bring an agonizing death to all those who dare stand before them. Many of them have been blessed by their patron, not with sinewy and beautiful forms, but ones Slaanesh thought more fitting to their beastly personalities. They sprouted hideous, yet captivating wings like those of a bat. Some mutated further with long sinewy tails each ending in a deadly stinger, massive yet dexterous claws, and beastly maws filled with sharp, venomous fangs. They have become malevolence given form, pyromania given shape, these daemonic figures bring agony and pain in the name of Slaanesh and the young Dark God could not be more pleased. In honor of their "Flawless Patron" they hunt the Eldar who so stubbornly refuse Her clutches, they burn humans in unholy warpfire, and tear their former brothers asunder in gory displays of animalistic fury. History The Baying of the Hounds The Divine Gargoyles were once holy warriors of the Emperor himself, members of the Dauntless Angels Space Marine Chapter. They were shining examples of faith each, warriors pure beyond question and more sure in their devotion to the Emperor than any other. But something was stirring deep within these Marines, as they burned and destroyed, they became obsessed with battle, and cared not the reason. Soon Space Marines of the 10th and 9th Companies, the ones most starved for combat, erupted in an episode of insane bloodlust that shocked their former brothers. Their betrayal was swift and brutal, slaughtering any who dared refuse their rebellion and stealing a number of heavy cruisers. They cut a bloody swath throughout the Galactic East, torching planets, slaughtering whatever stood in their path, they were no longer Space Marines, they were beasts, animals working on a simple pack mentality. By the time they reached the Maelstorm, nearly half of them had devolved into feral savages, hellbent on murder and gore, they dubbed themselves...The Hellhounds. Most of their number began to worship the Blood God devoutly, wreaking bloody havoc on all but their own for their bonds of brotherhood still defeated the urge to kill...barely. But even this debauchery was not enough for some, they wanted more, not the carnage of the chainaxe but the inferno of the flamer. These Hellhounds held on to some semblance of order and command and under the leadership of their former Captain, Char Jager, they left the safety of the Maelstrom on a bloody crusade. The Exodus As nearly half of the Warband left the Hellhounds, they gathered up what they could, conquering various Slaaneshii cults and Warbands forcing them to accept the Warbands dogma. When they left headed North West, they left with a force nearly a quarter the size of a Black Crusade. The marauded through the Galatic North, burning and enslaving, enthralled in their pyromainia, soon Slaanesh called out to these once Khornate Marines, His allure was to much for these semi-feral beasts of geneticly enhanced flesh and bone, they tore west on a direct path to the Eye of Terror. In this Exodus, they seemed to rip through any pitiful barrier the Imperium managed to erect, fighting their way through Imperial Armadas and even annihilating a Black Templar Crusaide. But this was not without cost, the Warband was losing members rapidly, and now with a joint force of the Space Wolves and Black Templars on their tales, these former Hellhounds found themselves hunted at every turn, an enemy around every corner. When they finally dove headfirst into the Eye of Terror, they numbered less than when they first seperaited from their parent warband. But they were home, and their God's siren call still pulled them ever deeper into the Eye. The Black Pilgramage The Chaos Marines tore headlong to Slaanesh's relm, killing or enslaving whatever stood in their way, they were relentless like starved beasts after a piece of meat they forged ahead, heedless of any losses. When they finnaly reached the Warp rift to Her kingdom, only Char Jager and his trusted honor guard entered. The other members of the Warband waited for but ten minutes but to Jager and his men, it was a month long journey. Jager was obsessed with seeing Slaanesh face-to-face, and while some of his runite fell to the temptaitons of the path, he strode onward, unimpressed with the traps the Prince of Pleasure. In the end only he and thirteen of his forty men made it to Slaanesh's chambers. When Jager looked upon the face of the Dark God, his fate was sealed, he and his men dropped to their knees obediently without hesitation, they swore to serve the Prince of Pleasure until their dying breaths. In return for such devotion, Jager and his luitenents were made the first true Divine Gargoyles, wings sprouted from their backs, flamers fused to massive claws, and faces turned into massive maws filled with teeth, each with a crown of elegant horns cresting their heads. When Jager and his men returned from their oddessy, their brothers could hardly believe their eyes, what were once human flesh reigned, smooth scales remained, what was once a hand, was now an enlegent claw, what was once a face, was now a stunning maw of shining fangs. Such grotesque beauty, such astounding horror, they all fell to their knees and praised Char Jager the Gargoyle Lord, the Angel of Agony, Burner of a Thousand Worlds. In Her Name The Divine Gargoyles now terrorize the Galatic West, and have grown to become a mighty and greatly feared Warband, having burned hundreds upon hundreds of worlds. They can be found Galaxy wide, spreading Slaanesh's name across the satrs, burning and ensalving all lifeforms the come across. They have shown themselves to be some of Her strongest and most devoted Champions, striking down all those who would subvert His will with flamer fire and clawed talons. Weapons/Tatics/Uniqe Units ''"AHHH THE COLORS AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!"-'' A Hellspawn in the thralls of pyromania The Divine Gargoyles rely almmost solely on heat-based weapons, from their multi-spectrum Warpfire Flamers, to their possessed Meltas, these Chaos Marines are pyromaniacs to the core. They also have massive numbers of Possessed Chaos Marines and more often than not members of this Warband bear its signature mutations, such as fully functional wings and rending talons. Thus they prefer close quarters combat and lighting fast deep assaults, plowing through the foe, heedless of any harm, ripping or igniting all who dare face them. They also have the innate mutations of the Dauntless Angels and thus, are nearly fireproof and can enact the Blood Rages perverse counterpart, the Divine Rampage, in which they become whirlwinds of mindless rage and unholy bloodlust. They also are blessed with unnatural speed and reflexes, courtesy of their patron. The Divine Gargoyles have some formations and warriors that are unique to the Warband: Hellspawn Hellspawn are what remains of the once unbreakably faithful Torchbearers of the Duantless Angels 9th and 10th Reserve Companies, tortured and broken, they are now living pyres of malevolence and suffering. Hellspawn are powerful Socerers each and bear many of the same powers of their loyalist counterparts only twisted in Slaanesh's perverse image. Wreathed in Multi-Colored Warpfire, and incinerating all they touch or even look upon, they are used as line breakers and area of denile weapons. They can summon fellow Chaos Marines to the feild in gouts of flame and can even wreath their brothers in fire to make them death incarnate. Gargoyles ''"GO FORTH MY CHILDREN! LIGHT THE VERY HEAVENS WITH YOUR PASSING! RISE ANGELS OF AGONY FOR THERE IS FLESH TO BURN AND SOULS TO FEAST UPON! RISE MY GARGOYALES!!!"- ''Char Jager upon releasing his Gargoyles upon Imperial forces during the Torching of Hector Those blessed few who have become the like the beasts their Warmaster and his Lieutenants became, these dragon like beasts show no resemblance of their former Space Marine heritage save for the twisted and warped power armor fused to their skin. What little skin is exposed is diamond hard scales and now these beasts have mighty wings that give them True Flight and massive claws that can rend through armor, flesh, and bone with ease. Most Gargoyles can also breath fire and often have had Flamers or Meltas fused to their arms, a stinging tale whose venom drains the victims very soul, and massive maws full of razor sharp fangs that can engulf a Guardsman in one bite. Gargoyles may also opt for a melee weapon, heavy flamer, or multi-melta. Culture This Warband is a perverse and twisted echo of their Dauntless Angel counterparts, with devout worship of the Emperor being replace with the fanatical worship of the Prince of Pleasure. What was once righteous hatred to burn the foes of the Emperor is now replaced with a frenzied lust to ignight all that lives. And what was once a bond of brotherhood is now mere pack mentality, caring not for those who fall and only for the glorious inferno to come. Recruitment The Chaos Marines that still bear Dauntless Angel Gene-Seed make up only a quarter of the Warbands number, with most being Chaos Marines of Slaaneshii Warbands that were conquered by the "True" Divine Gargoyles. Most of the Warbands Chaos Marines come from slave stock or were simply Chaos Marines that have joined this fast growing Warband. They have also been known to steal Gene-Seed from enemy Space Marines, this could explain the Warbands rather large numbers. The trials to becoming a Divine Gargoyle are sadistic and hellish to say the least, and very few potential Marines survive but those who do are immune to pain and fear, their minds having been broken by the trials. Notable Conflicts Champions Char Jager, The Gargoyle Lord Char Jager was once a member of the Blood Wing Auxilary, but when he distinguished himself in front of the Dauntless Angels against heretics on the Death World of Miuarg, he was marked up for the training. He accelled and within a few hundred years became Captain of the 9th Company. But in spite of his achievements and battle honors in the name of the God Emperor, he always felt something was lacking, something missing from his daily routine. When the 10th Company descended into bloodlust and madness, Char felt compelled to join them, this urge was both confusing and yet irresistible. As the two Companies became the Warband known as the Hellhounds and fled to the Maelstrom, Jagers emptyness grew, the tug westward pulled on his very soul every moment of his days in the Hellhounds. Before the Hellhounds fell totally to Khorne, Jager took nearly half of the Warband with him, and all of the Warbands psykers. Though their succession was less than peaceful, it was minor, he then set about conquering the various weaker Warbands of the Maelstrom..finding himself drawn to Slaaneshii cults. After amassing a considerably large force, Jager led his Warband on a bloody rampage across the Galactic North, his need to make it to the Eye of Terror had become an obsession. His forces overran all forces in their way, Space Marines, Orks, Imperial Fleets, it mattered not. However, his pilgrimage was running low on warm bodies to continue his relentless push westward, it was only luck that saved his Warband as an Ork WAAAAGH! had sideswiped the joint Black Templar and Space Wolf force that was to hold him from his goal. The moment his forces entered the Eye, the strange force that had pulled him to this hellish realm had completely consumed him, he followed his internal beacon with a relentless fervor that could only be found in a Space Marine. After years of tearing through the Eye of Terror, he had finally found it, the gate to the Prince of Pleasures realm. By now of course Jager and his Warband were already displaying all the cardnel signs of Slaaneshii cultists, an attraction to bright colors, hedonism, and of course, sheer recklessness. But they had yet to bask in Her true glory, this pilgrimage was to prove their devotion, to show their commitment to His eternal beauty and perfection. Char Jager was said by his surviving honor guard to have marched through Slaanesh's realm undaunted by any of the temptations of the path, so dedicated to Slaanesh's glory that nothing could turn him from his path. When he and his remaining men made it to the Prince of Pleasure's chambers, Char Jager was said to be the very last to fall to his knees, not for resistance, but for the sheer awe he held for his God not wanting to tear his eyes away from such mind numbing perfection. As he sold his soul and the souls of all those under his command, his only thoughts were of fulfillment, of purpose. The Emperor was not perfection, the Emperor was not all, for he had fallen and as far as Char Jager was conserned, was no more. Now all he lived for was to burn in Her name, to slay in His honor, to destroy for Slaanesh's eternal glory. Now more daemon than man, The Gargoyle Lord and his trusted Lieutenants guide "Her Chosen" across the stars, burning all they come across for His eternal ecstasy and for their own twisted gains. Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Chaos Warbands Category:Slaanesh Category:Chaos